


Suddenly

by CamelotLady



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-01
Updated: 2012-03-31
Packaged: 2017-11-02 20:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/373046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamelotLady/pseuds/CamelotLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Catherine makes a preposition to Steve, can he say yes and move on?. Slight Steve/Catherine,McKono forever</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**This fic was inspired by the song "Suddenly" by Billy Ocean. Beautiful piece of work, I swear. If you haven't heard it, do it. You won't regret it.**

\----------------------------------------------------------

I've never seen Steve happier, truth be told. Ever since Catherine came back he has been smiling more, telling jokes even, and laughing with us. He looked chipper and more energetic than I've seen in a very long time. I guess that means he's in love.

And then there's Catherine who everyone seems to adore, including me. She is fun, sweet and she is the type of woman you could talk to for hours and hours and she to seems to be very much in love with Steve. Besides, she understood the complications of being with someone whose job is as complicated as ours so I figure that's why he was so in love.

"Okay, so you owe me lunch," I say to Steve and he frowns, obviously confused, "because I told you the suspect was the real deal? C'mon how could you possibly forget?"

"I didn't. I mean I haven't," he says, "I thought you were joking!"

"I never joke when it comes to making bets, Steve. You should know that by now," I smile at him and he smiles back. We look at each other for a brief second and I feel my cheeks turning a soft shade of pink at the way his eyes shine.

"Yeah, I should have known better. So when do you want to have lunch? Today or tomorrow?"

I look at my watch, it's 2:30 and my stomach rumbles. I guess I should have had breakfast this morning.

"Now it is, I suppose," he says and I nod. "Let's go then…"

He stops midsentence when Catherine walks into the headquarters. He was surprised but happy. They hug and I stand aside not knowing what to do, because I obviously feel like I'm interrupting a love scene from a romantic movie.

Awkward.

"What are you doing here?" he asks and Catherine smiles sweetly.

"I thought I should drop by and ask my boyfriend out for lunch."

"Oh…" he looks at me with an apologetic look. "Well, I was about to have lunch with Kono."

"You were?" she asks, obviously surprised and there's no way to deny the hint of jealousy I see in her eyes.

"It was a bet," I explain, not wanting this whole conversation to be misunderstood, "I told him our suspect was the actual murderer and I was right, so he owes me lunch. But don't worry about it, I'm not even THAT hungry."

I'm starving, but whatever. And yes I was looking forward to having lunch with Steve, just us and not the team.

"Are you sure? 'Cause you could come with us."

I could have said yes, clearly, but the way Catherine was looking at me with pleading eyes made me back away. Clearly she had plans for them and I was obviously not included.

"No, don't worry about it. Have fun."

I turn around towards my office and they walk towards the door holding hands, smiling at each other. I feel like someone has just punched me in my stomach and as much as I don't want to admit it, it's pure envy. I'm sure Catherine has no idea how lucky she is for having such a man by her side. For a brief second I fantasize about being the one holding his hand, but when I snap back to reality I see how ridiculous my wishes are.

I have to stop wishing for someone who will never be mine.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where did our super ninja go?" Danny asks; the hours have passed ridiculously fast and I still find myself alone in my office.

"He went out to lunch with Catherine," I answer, not lifting my head from my still unfinished report. I suck at doing this when my brain is someplace else.

"Which explains why you are so heartbroken and sad."

"What?" I snap my head towards him and he smiles amusingly.

"It's okay, Kono, I know. Don't worry"

"You know what exactly?"

"About your feelings for Steven."

"I don't…" I sight heavily "I don't have feelings for him. We're just friends, just like you and I."

"Right," he says not convinced at all.

"Right. So get that thought out of your head."

"I will, except you're a terrible liar."

"Danny…"

"What? There's absolutely nothing wrong with having feelings for someone…"

"Yeah, except that someone is my boss, and he has a girlfriend who is truly fantastic, who also is very much in love."

"I know what you're getting at. Catherine is a great woman. You like her; she's like your new girlfriend now, and you having feelings for Steve makes everything a little bit complicated. I understand it. But that doesn't mean it's wrong. Besides, he doesn't have to know, right?"

"Right." I reply and he nods.

"It will be our little secret."

"I wouldn't call it little."

"Ok, fine. I'll call it our BIG secret, a top secret-secret."

"That's better," I smile and he hugs me, the small sweet gesture bringing tears to my eyes. "Promise me you won't tell him. Please, I need to hear you say you'll promise."

"Of course. Don't worry about it. I promise I won't tell Steve you love him."

 

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Steve didn't see it coming at all. There was nothing out of the ordinary when Catherine, his girlfriend for more than a year, dropped by his office and told him to have lunch. It wasn't the first time she did it, so there was no reason for him to think something was weird about it. Besides, they were having lunch at Kamakona's - not at a fancy restaurant or anything. So when she dropped the bomb he didn't even know how to react because he was certainly not prepared for her request.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Steve took a breath and watched as Catherine smiled brightly at him, taking a sip of her drink. "Your superior offered you a job on land in Los Angeles and you're moving in two weeks?"

"Yes," she said, nodding.

"How come you're just telling me now?"

"Because I've been thinking about it for a couple of days," she said, "I mean, we've been on and off for more than a year, and I didn't know how your reaction was going to be. So I took a few days to think about it and I came up with an idea…"

"So, you're saying yes?" he wondered, a little angry and sad, but she seemed happy about it so he didn't bring his feelings up.

"Wait! I've been thinking that maybe you should come with me."

"With you? As in for a couple of weeks?"

"No, as in forever."

He stopped thinking for a minute. She was asking him to move in, move away from his home, to Los Angeles, to a whole different city, leaving everything he knew behind. He loved Catherine, there was no question about it, but was he ready to give up every single thing he knew in Hawaii; his friends, his family, his job for her? He wasn't sure. He wasn't convinced that leaving was the good idea Catherine thought it was.

"You want me to leave Hawaii?"

"I want us to have a fresh start; we've been apart for so long Steve. I think it's time to settle down, don't you think?"

"But why can't be do it here? I thought you loved Hawaii."

She grabbed his hand, gave it a light squeeze and a gentle smile. He was having a hard time thinking about a proper answer.

"I loved Hawaii because you were here. And now that we can be together somewhere else…"

"Catherine my whole life is here. My family, my friends, Five-0."

She lets go of his hand, crossing her arms against her chest. She was angry and disappointed and he had no idea how to deal with that.

"I thought I was part of your life too."

"You are, of course you are. I just…" he sighed and leaned in his chair. How was he supposed to explain to the woman he thought could understand anything, how much Hawaii meant to him? He thought she knew that already. "This is my home."

"Can you at least think about it?" she pleaded and the mere thought of breaking her heart and saying no made him nod in agreement.

The second thought was; how was he going to bring this up to the team?

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When he walked into the HQ almost an hour after his lunch with Catherine, he stopped by the beach and took a long walk to clear his head before dropping this on everyone. Once he got back, he saw the team,  _his_  team laughing at some joke Danny was telling and his heart ached just from thinking about how he could possibly leave them behind. This was his family, everything he had (besides Mary), this was what made him happy, what made him complete. Leaving was something he never thought of doing… and yet he was actually thinking about it right this instant.

Then he stopped to look at Kono. There was something so special about her; she had a glow he hadn't seen before. She used to be the rookie, the one everyone worried about getting hurt, but then she turned out to be the strongest girl he had ever met. He could never look at her the same.

"Everything alright Boss?" Chin asked, and he faked a smile trying to convince them nothing was wrong when in his head everything was.

"Yeah, everything is fine," he replied and the way Kono stared at him told him she was not very pleased with his answer. "Danny, can I talk to you in my office?"

"Yeah, sure."

He closes the door behind his office and takes a deep breath. Danny stares at his friend in obvious distress; there was no need to say something went wrong during that lunch break.

"What is it?"

"Catherine was offered a job in LA..."

"Oh. I'm sorry man…"

"She asked me to go with her," he speaks and Danny frowns, "And I'm thinking about saying yes."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

"What? Are you out of your mind?"

The amount of yelling coming from Steve's office was not a good sign. Danny usually yelled a lot, especially at Steve, but the minute he walked inside and specifically requested to speak to him meant something was completely wrong and proves me right.

I'm not one to eavesdrop, I hate doing that, but this time curiosity took the best of me.

"I'm not!"

"Look I understand you love her and all, but sacrificing your entire life? Are you crazy?"

"Isn't it the same thing you did for Grace? You sacrificed your whole life just to be close to her? Well, that's exactly what I'm doing!"

"That's completely different. Grace is my daughter. I need her with me. Catherine is…"

"My girlfriend and I love her."

His words sunk so deep into my heart it hurt.

"Do you really?" Danny asks him, I think mainly because he knows there's someone out there who can love him more than her, that one being me.

"Yes."

"You really  _do_  love her?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I'm trying to understand why you would do something this stupid."

I hear him sigh heavily and the room becomes quiet. I take a peek through the window and I see Steve sitting at his desk, holding his head between his hands as a sign of frustration while Danny was sitting in front of him. He was unsettled and Danny yelling at him did not help at all.

"Danny I want to be with Catherine," he explained. "I have to. She has done so much for me."

"So have I, and Chin too. Not to mention Kono. I mean what are you gonna do with Kono?"

Danny was talking about me as if I was the most important thing in Steve's life, which was far from the truth. We cared about each other, that was true, but what I felt for him was more than friendship and he was completely unaware of it.  _He_  was the important one to me… I don't think it went the other way around.

"I'm sure she'll understand."

"Well, I don't. Sorry," he spoke. "If you wanted my support for this crap, I'm sorry to tell you that you won't get it."

"I have to do this, Danny."

Danny got up, irritated and made his way towards the door. He turned around before touching the door knob.

"All I'm saying is that if she loved you enough, she would have never asked you to leave  _your_  life behind. At one point she's gonna have to stop being selfish."

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

The next couple of days were filled with tension at work; Danny was cranky and Steve was sad. It wasn't a very nice situation, if you ask me. They were barely talking to each other and when they  _did_  talk, Danny would start yelling at Steve for no particular reason and I was worried at first but now it's getting old.

So I find myself peeking at Steve's office once again. He was sitting on his desk, facing the window, deep in thought. Fighting with Danny all the time was taking its toll on him, and Catherine pushing him to leave was not helping at all.

I knock on the door softly; he turns around and flashes a smile at me, though I know it's not genuine.

"Can I come in?" I ask and he nods. I walk in and close the door behind me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well I noticed you and Danny are not exactly on friendly terms and I'm kind of worried."

"Oh it's nothing," he lies and instead of making eye contact with me he concentrates on rearranging the papers on his desk. "We had a little bit of a misunderstanding, but it'll be okay."

"Is this about you and Catherine?" I ask and he snaps his head towards me. "I eavesdropped. I couldn't help it,"

He sighs, sitting at his desk with a distressed look on his face.

"When are you leaving?" I ask, and just thinking about him not being around made my heart skip a beat.

"In two weeks."

"Two weeks? Wow, that's sooner than I thought."

"Yeah. Catherine says everything is ready, we're basically taking our time to pack."

"No wonder Danny is so pissed," I smile a little although it was painful because at this point there's no reason to smile at all.

"Are you pissed?" he asks and I shake my head immediately. I wouldn't define my feelings as anger, it's more like sadness.

"No, of course not. I mean I understand why you are doing all this…"

"You do?"

"Of course. You and Catherine love each other and you've been apart long enough. It's time for you to be together now."

"I know. I'm just having a hard time deciding whether this is the right or wrong decision."

"You want my advice?"

"I'm in need of some."

I take a seat in front of him, his eyes so focused on me and I feel a shiver down my spine. I curse myself in silence, because his eyes had such a tremendous effect on me that I had a hard time trying to think of what I was about to say.

"Well, the way I see it is when you are in love with somebody, you are willing to make any kind of sacrifice for that person even if it means leaving your entire life behind and starting from zero. In this case Catherine wants to be with you and you love her, and if that makes her happy why wouldn't YOU be happy?"

"I am happy. And I love her."

"There's your answer then."

No matter how hard it is for me to hear him say how much he loved Catherine, I'm glad he's happy. I guess that's one of the main things about being so in love with someone; you are more than willing to sacrifice all your feelings and your own happiness and let them go if it will make them happiest. I think part of my heart is ready to let him go.

"Thank you Kono," he speaks standing up and I do the same. He wraps his arms around me and the small gesture of intimacy breaks my heart in million pieces, because he has never done this before and my brain was just not prepared for all of this. "Thanks for your advice. I really needed it."

"No problem, I mean that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right."

"And don't worry about Danny; I'm pretty sure he will understand eventually."

"I hope he does…"

There's a heartbreaking silence between us and I have the strange feeling that this will be our last time alone together; the first and last time I will get to hug him and have him close.

"Well…" I break the silence to stop the sob about to come out of my mouth, "I should probably go. I need to finish that damn report."

"Yeah. Okay."

I move towards the door but he stops me before I can even reach the door knob. He does something I never thought he would; he drops a soft kiss on my cheek, his lips lingering there for a brief second before pulling away.

"Thank you, again."

"You're welcome…."

I walk away fast, closing the door behind me. The tears starting to run down my cheeks.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was becoming a habit for Catherine to show up at Steve's office unannounced. She liked to surprise him and see the smile on his face when she watched him work. That was the main point of showing up like that, to surprise him. She never thought this time the surprise would be on her.

She watched them talk, Steve sitting on his desk and Kono in front of him. She couldn't hear what they were saying; she only saw the distressed look on her boyfriend's face and nothing else. They sat there for almost a half an hour; could have been more but she wasn't even counting. He smiled at something she had said and stood up. The next thing he did made her heart shrink and a pang of jealousy hit her; he hugged her. He hugged her like he had never hugged her before, the way he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and practically pulled her towards his chest made her eyes burn.

There was so much love in that tiny gesture that it made Catherine wonder if he really felt everything he said he felt for her. Was he just trying to be nice to her so she wouldn't feel lonely? He was, after all, everything she had here in Hawaii. He was also the only reason why she was on land and not in another forsaken city. But she was partially sure he was being completely honest when he said he loved her, he wouldn't lie to her like that. Maybe this, the hug, was just a way to show Kono how much of a good friend she was and nothing else.

But just when she was about to settle with that explanation, Kono made her way towards the door but Steve stopped her, kissing her on the cheek. His lips lingered there for God knows how long, and the amount of tenderness it expressed shocked her. Then she left, tears running down her cheeks. Well, she was sad because Steve was leaving, probably; apparently everyone was, so there was no further explanation for that.

Then when she walked out Steve touched his lips with his fingertips, smiling to himself.

She felt scared. This was not the way visiting Steve was supposed to feel.

 

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Because I really REALLY thought Maggie and Danny should meet, so I added her into the conversation. This was supposed to be just Danny and Kono, but then I added Danny into the conversation. Kinda worked.**

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You should be crying all over me by now," Maggie speaks as we set the table for dinner. She's right about one thing; I definitely should be crying but I guess I've done that a lot lately and I just needed a break, possibly from the world.

I thought calling Maggie for a chat about something else rather than Steve leaving was a bad idea after all, that's all we've been talking about since she stepped foot into my house.

"I told you I don't feel like crying," I say.

"If you do, no matter the hour, just call me and I'll be here."

"Thank you, Maggie."

There's a knock on the door and we both frown. It was late for someone to visit.

Danny stood in my doorway, looking distressed, desperate and a little bit angry. Maybe he had, yet again, another argument with Steve about his departure.

"Williams," I greet him and he steps inside my house, pacing a little around the tiny living room. He stops in front of me, ignoring Maggie, and I waited for him to say something.

"I've been thinking about this whole Steve leaving town thing."

"And? You decided to share whatever you're thinking with me at midnight?"

"Yes, because I just can't wait. We have to do something fast."

"We?"

"Yes, I mean not me, just you."

"Wait, what are you talking about Danny?"

"I'm talking about you telling Steve you're in love with him."

"Oh, wow. Oh, wow. No." Danny has gone completely mental and out of his mind.

"What do you mean no?"

"I meant that, NO!"

"You do understand what's going to happen, right?" he complains. "He's leaving forever, Kono."

"I know, I understand. But telling him how I feel about him won't make any difference."

"Why not? If he knows you have feelings for him he'll change his mind about being with Catherine, which means he won't just leave."

"Sorry to interrupt," Maggie finally speaks and that's when Danny notices her presence. They look at each other for a brief second and then he turns his face towards me. "But I think your friend here is right."

"Danny," he says to her and he smiles, a little flirty. She smiles back.

"If you tell Steve how you feel, which believe me I've been trying to get her to do that FOREVER," she speaks to Danny rather than me, "he might change his mind about leaving."

"I know you want him to stay, Danny, and I do too, more than anything in the world. But I won't risk breaking my own heart. I can't. I mean I'm having a hard time already listening to him saying he loves Catherine."

"Which is exactly why you have to tell him you love him." Maggie says and Danny nods.

"Which part of he loves Catherine do you two not understand?"

"None of it, because clearly he's being stupid and selfless," he complains once again. "He can't just walk away from us like that, we are his friends AND family."

"And the way I see it, he thinks he doesn't have any other options. I mean he clearly sees Catherine as his only way to settle down," Maggie speaks to which Danny nods again.

"What is this, a conspiracy towards me?"

"No, we're trying to talk some sense into you!"

"She's just like Steve," Danny speaks to Maggie. "They're both stubborn, that's why they're meant for each other."

"Can you two stop?" I scream, losing control already. "I won't talk to Steve about anything, and you will both shut up about it. Period!"

"For now," they talk in unison, smiling at each other for a brief second.

"Besides, him leaving doesn't mean he can't come visit."

"Why are you so calm anyways?" he asks and I wish I could have an answer to that. "I'd be crying my eyes out if I were you."

"I guess I already accepted the fact I'm losing Steve forever, though I never had him in the first place."

"For what it's worth, I think the woman who should have him forever is you."

 

**TBC!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Catherine centric chapter. Just thought I should write about how she feels...**

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catherine was not an insecure person when it came to the love she shared with Steve. She loved him, and she was sure he loved her. But these last few days made her question everything he had said. Yes, it was clear that leaving was a huge sacrifice for him; that he was pushing everything away so that they could be together, but that also meant him being happy with the fresh start they were supposed to have. After all, he  _did_  love her.

But he wasn't happy. In fact, he was downright miserable. He was sad at first, and she understood perfectly well, but ever since he had spoken to Kono his demeanor changed increasingly. Each time she mentioned something about Los Angeles his whole face changed.

She feared her love for him was not reason enough for him to go with her. She was afraid Steve would change his mind at the last minute and it scared her more than she could say.

"Steve, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you love me?" she hated doing this, she hates asking a question she knew the answer to, but she wanted to make sure. She had to.

"Of course I do."

"You would do anything for me, right?"

Then she came to the conclusion that her fears had one main cause, Kono. It was unfair really, because she was a good woman, a friend even, but Catherine was scared she could be the only reason why Steve could change his mind. She feared if she asked him to stay, he would, because deep inside she knew the feelings Steve had for her were not just friendly.

"You know I would."

"I know what I'm going to ask you might not make sense to you," she explained "but to me this is the only choice I have."

"What are you talking about, Catherine?"

"I need you to stay away from Kono."

Then his face changed again, just like when that talk about their trip and LA and all the plans they were supposed to have.

"Why would I do something like that? And why are you even asking me?"

"Because I think the only reason you're so sad to be leaving is because of her!" she yells and though she doesn't want to snap at him like that she feels she has to just to stress her point.

"What are you talking about?"

"I hate being the jealous girlfriend, I hate feeling this way, Steve."

"Then don't…"

"But I feel she's more important to you than me and I just don't want her to take you away from me."

He sighs heavily, shaking his head. He was trying to explain what Kono meant to him, but how could he do that if he wasn't sure himself?

"She's part of my Ohana, Catherine," he spoke softly. "You cannot ask me to make her not important if she's part of five-0."

"That's not what I meant at all and you know it!"

"Then explain to me what you did mean, because I sure as hell don't understand."

"Do you have feelings for her?"

He frowned for what seemed to be the second time during their entire conversation. Where she was going with this, she had no idea. She didn't mean to ask him that, she didn't mean to question his feelings for her but yet again she was. And she was including another woman, which made everything worse.

"No," but he hesitated, she saw it in his yes. He wasn't sure and it hurt. "Look, Catherine, Kono is my friend, that's it. There's nothing for you to worry about. In two weeks we'll be starting our brand new life. Can we focus on that instead of my feelings for Kono?"

"I need you to promise me you won't walk away from me, Steve," she almost begged, "I need to know I won't have to share you with anyone, especially not her."

He nodded slowly and flashed a smile to her. Somehow she was convinced but not entirely, there was something bothering her inside and it didn't go away.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

It became a part of my daily routine; peeking into Steve's office while he was in there working. I usually found him starting outside his window deep in thought, other times he was sitting on his desk, eyes covered by his hands. It broke my heart but there was nothing I could do to make it stop.

I hate interrupting him when he was, once again, staring outside his window but I had planned on making up an excuse just to find out why he was so sad again, though I think I already knew the answer.

"Sorry Boss, I have paperwork to show you," I speak and he nods, not looking at me at all. Weird.

"Leave it on my desk," he speaks coldly and I have to shake my head to make sure I was listening clearly.

"Okay, sure," I put the folders on his desk and make a move towards the door but I just couldn't let his cold demeanor towards me go. I just can't. "I'm sorry, have I done something wrong Boss?"

"What do you mean?" he asks, once again coldly.

"I mean you're being cold and a little bit harsh and I am assuming I did something wrong since you are mad at me," I speak honestly, he shakes his head still not looking at me.

"No, you haven't," he speaks sighing heavily, "I'm sorry Kono, I just have a lot of things going on inside of my head."

"Catherine?" I ask and he nods slowly.

"We sort of had an argument last night," he said but did not explain any further; I figured it might be related to their trip and him not wanting to go. "About you."

Wait. Did he just say they argued about me?

"What about me?"

"Catherine says she's afraid you will convince me to stay, which is ridiculous because you were the one to tell me about love and sacrifices, right?"

"Yeah…"

"She says she thinks you have feelings for me," he laughs softly and I just stare at him in disbelief. Was he laughing at my expense? "Which is obviously not true, right?"

I don't know how to answer to that. I don't know if I can lie to his face, I don't know if I can say anything at all. Would it make more sense if I just left his office without saying a word? Would I give my feelings away if I do exactly that? At this point I have no idea.

"She's wrong. I mean you do not have feelings for me, right Kono?" he frowns and I see that as my escape.

I walk out of his office with really nowhere to go. I could just grab my car keys and leave or I could just run towards the beach and cry my eyes out. Either option resulted in me in tears.

I frantically search for my keys in my pockets but I notice my hands are shaking, and the tears were already running down my cheeks. Thank God neither Danny nor Chin were at the HQ so they wouldn't ask me any questions. A sob escapes my lips and I cover my mouth with my hand, the tears kept running and running and there was no way I could stop them.

My heart aches, my whole body aches. Was he really laughing at the idea of me having feelings for him? Was it so amazing to him or so ridiculous that I could love him even a little? God I really wish Catherine had been wrong, I wish I could laugh with him and tell him how crazy she is for thinking I might be in love with him, but sadly I can't. I'm head over heels for him and it hurts.

"Kono, hey, wait," Steve walks out of his office and I wipe the tears off my face quickly. "Let's talk about this."

"Talk about what exactly?" I ask him, looking for the keys around my desk with no success. "There's nothing to talk about…"

"You…" he whispers, searching my face "You have feelings for me?"

I raise my head long enough for him to see my face, my eyes and the fresh new tears running down my cheeks. I think that gave him the answer he was looking for.

"Kono…" he whispers, reaching for my face but I back away.

"No, that's okay. I'm fine," I lie, "I'm not gonna ruin your plans with Catherine, that's not my intention at all. So, you can tell her to be cool, I'm just gonna sit here and pretend nothing happened."

"What about me then?" he asks. "What's gonna happen to me? What do I do with all that information now?"

"Nothing. Because there's absolutely nothing to be done. You will go away with your girlfriend, you will forget about me and everything will be perfect."

"No, it won't."

"It's too late, Steve," I speak and I notice my voice has become a mere whisper, "Part of being in love with someone is knowing when to let that person go. I've learned how to do that a long time ago."

"So that's it, then?" he speaks angrily and my heart beats faster and faster than I ever thought, I want to run away as quickly as I can. "You will just let this go..."

"No, I will let  _YOU_  go."

Just when he was about to reply Danny and Chin made their entrance. They both look at me and then to Steve. I'm sure they wonder what's going on, or why my eyes are puffy, but I don't want to explain about how this is destroying my very soul so I continue with my plan of running away. I grab my recently found car keys and walk towards the exit. Danny grabs my hand but I shake my head and walk away.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

Catherine talked a lot when she was happy. She rambled about a bunch of things and it was hard to keep up with her. She was rambling like crazy right now, which is how Steve knew she was happy. She was rambling about a house in the suburbs a friend had found for her, something about being white and big and just perfect for them.

They were packing, it was very late according to her because they were leaving in a week, and he hadn't done anything more than working. So, he actually listened to her when she said he should start packing.

He grabs an old frame with a picture, it was one of those celebration nights Steve had with the team, the first one after a case solved. He smiled at the faces, at how happy they were back then and how easily he could break the Ohana feeling. He felt awful once again, the strange feeling of loneliness hit him for the first time. He was about to lose all that made sense to him; in the blink of an eye he was going to be alone.

He closes his eyes for a moment, thinking back to when he used to hang around with his team after work or when Danny used to make jokes that got everyone laughing. He smiled to himself. Then there was distinctive voice inside of his head, whispering and a soft laughter followed close, he could recognize it; it was Kono's. He saw her dimpled smile, her beautiful brown eyes and then nothing. Except Catherine's voice saying something he could barely understand.

"…then I was thinking we could go visit her. Does that sounds good to you?" Catherine speaks, coming closer to where he was standing. He looks at her barely and she frowns at the lack of attention she's getting from him. "What are you doing?"

"I was looking at this picture," he flashes the frame in front of him and she glares. She has seen that picture many times before but never actually paid any sort of special attention to it. Come to think about it, she barely even noticed how his arm was wrapped loosely around Kono's waist and how she was leaning slightly on his shoulder. She would have never thought anything weird about it, but under her circumstances she couldn't help it.

So she snags the picture off his hand, harshly and throws it carelessly inside the box. Her movement is so fast he can't react in time, all he hears is the glass breaking and Catherine staring at him as if he had committed the worse crime ever.

"Why did you do that for?" he snaps at her while she glares at him, hands on her hips.

"Because I was discussing something important with you and you didn't pay attention at all," she complained.

"There was no need, Catherine," he snapped back at her because frankly he was pissed.

"Look I know they are important to you, I know you'll miss them but this is OUR life now, Steve. They're not included."

"What do you mean they're not included?" he snapped once more, this time his voice became louder and louder. "They're my life! This whole Island is. I grew up here; I've lived here my entire life. How can you possibly not understand that?"

"I understand it, believe me I do. But when will I come into this whole family picture?" she asked, "When will you think of me as someone important?"

"I'm going with you to that forsaken town, aren't I?" he yelled harshly because he was tired, hurt and pissed off. His breath became erratic, his heart beat faster at all the anger he felt inside. "You're taking me away from everything and everyone I care about - isn't that enough? Isn't that all the attention you need?"

"No, I need you," she spoke, "I need you completely, I don't want to come home and see you sad because 'oh my God my girlfriend forced me to come with me to this damn town'. I want to see you happy because of it; I want to see you look at me saying how much you look forward to us being together for real."

He sighed and look around them, boxes spread all over his house, he peeked into his forgotten box and saw the face of his friends again, especially Kono's and his heart felt tight inside his chest. She was so beautiful when she smiled.

And she loves me, he thought. She loves me enough to let me go. But I don't think I can let her go…

"I'm sorry, but this is all you're gonna get," he replied, looking at a distressed Catherine. "Don't expect me to be happy when I'm not, Catherine."

"We could have been, you know? If you learned to move on. I'm sure they will."

"Probably, but I don't think I can move on without them."

"You mean her," she spoke and he could have denied it but there was no point. "You can't live without her."

"Yes, I can't," he whispered, "I'm sorry…"

"No, I am sorry. I should have seen it before," she whispered, a single tear running down her cheek, "I guess I was too focused on creating a life for us."

"Catherine I…"

"Go to her," she turned her back to him, sobbing softly and it broke Steve's heart. If he had noticed before, if he had realized what was going on in his heart all of this would have stopped. But he had been blind and he suddenly felt in love all over again.

And he listened to her when he said go to her and he practically ran towards the door and to his car. There was smiling creeping in his face as the sudden realization of being in love hit him.

This time she was the right woman.

 

**TBC!**


	9. Chapter 9

This has become my daily routine; ice cream and a movie. There's nothing else that can take away the misery my life has become, and the sadness that always tries to creep up on me whenever I'm alone. I could have invited Maggie but she mentioned something about a date with some guy she met. She said something about me being surprised. I don't even want to know.

Just when I'm about to get settled in front of the TV, there's a knock on my door.

Who might be at such a late hour? I'm certainly not in the mood for a conversation with anybody, at least not right now.

I catch my breath at the sight before my eyes as I see Steve standing right in front of me.

"Hi…" I barely whisper.

"Hi. Can I come in?"

I nod and he steps in, looking at his surroundings. I don't remember the last time he had been here; I guess it was when the whole Delano thing happened. He stopped by with Danny to check up on me and make sure I wasn't having a break down. We had lunch here a couple of times after my suspension, which was almost a year ago.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him, closing the door and walking towards him. "I thought you were packing with Catherine."

"I was, but I'm not anymore," he says, turning around to face me.

"Done so fast?"

"You could say that…" he whispers, taking a few steps towards me. I back away a little bit, the conversation we had the other day, the one when he finds out about me loving him, floating in my head.

"Aren't you excited about LA?" I ask him and he stares at me, I swallow hard because the way he looks at me is not the way a man about to move in with his girlfriend should be doing it.

"Not really, no," he says, more honest than I could ever be.

"I'm guessing you're nervous, but if you see the bright side you and Catherine are going to be very happy."

"I don't think happy is the right word," he speaks softly, taking two more steps towards me, W broke up."

"You… did?"

"Yeah. Catherine thought I didn't have my mind set on her."

"Did you?"

"Not really," he smiles and suddenly I feel my palms sweaty and the air thick. This whole conversation was escalating to a whole different level. "I had my mind set on someone else, to be honest."

"I hope you didn't tell her that," I joke and he smiles once more.

"Oh she knows; there was no need for me to say a word. I guess she knows me better than I thought."

God, he was breaking my personal space, he was so close to me I could feel the air leaving my lungs at his proximity. He has no idea the effect he was causing to my body.

"That's what girlfriends do…"

"Ex-girlfriends," he corrects me.

"Yeah, details."

"You know what that means, right?"

"No, not really," I say, seeming nervous which I really was but I was trying to play cool and calm.

"I'm not leaving," he whispers, and I nod slowly. "I thought I could, for a minute, leave it all behind and start a new life. But then I thought about the team, about my family, about all the memories. And I thought about you."

"You thought about me. Why?"

"Because I thought I could move on, that I could be happy with Catherine but then I saw she's not you." He moves a few steps closer, our bodies inches apart. He's breaking my personal space again and I don't know how to react. "She will never be like you…"

"Steve…"

"I thought I loved her, I really did but then something in me changed. I saw you. I finally did…"

I'm so shocked by his words, so totally and completely shocked I find myself speechless. Was he being serious or was this part of some twisted bizarre dream of mine? Did I fell asleep on the couch again?

"Steve, please stop."

"Stop what?"

"All of this! The only reason why are you talking to me this way is because need to make an excuse not to leave."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is. You know Catherine is the right woman for you, she will make you happy…"

"I love you."

He interrupts me and I freeze. He speaks with such honesty and determination I can really tell he's being truthful. He's not playing jokes, he's not trying to shut me up and he loves me.

"What…"

"I love you Kono," he speaks, moving impossibly closer to me. "That's why I'm not leaving. Because Catherine knew the only one who could stop me from doing this was you, because she knew eventually I would see it. I love you."

He takes my face between his hands, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. I close my eyes at the contact of his warm hands with my cold cheeks. It brings shivers down my spine.

"I don't understand. Days ago you told Danny you loved Catherine. How am I supposed to trust you when I heard you say it?"

"Because…" he sighs heavily, breaking contact with me and moving away. He paces around the room, frustrated. "I didn't see it. I didn't. Not until I just couldn't stop thinking about how wrong it was for me to leave, not Hawaii but you. And I closed my eyes and I heard your voice and I saw you, then I knew it. I just did."

"God, Steve…"

"I love you Kono," he pleads. "I love you more than I ever thought I could."

"You… you love me?" I whisper, his confession finally sinking in and tear runs down my cheek. He wipes it away with his hand, kissing my cheek.

"Yes," he whispers, his face so close to mine I could feel his breath and then there was no more space, no more distance.

His lips barely brush mine in a very gentle kiss, and my arms instinctively move around his neck. He presses his body closer, and the kiss intensifies by the minute. I moan against his mouth, he wraps his arms around my waist, one of his hands brushing the skin underneath my pajama shirt. He lifts me up, my legs wrap around his waist and he moves towards somewhere. I remember he has no idea where my room is, so he walks towards the kitchen instead, I could have laughed about it but my brain is so busy with the wonderful things his mouth is doing to my neck. I sit on the kitchen counter and we break apart for a second just to look at each other, he smiles and brushes a rebel hair off my face.

There's so much love in his eyes it amazes me. There was no way I could have predicted our relationship was going to end like this. Steve loving me the way he's doing right now, hands everywhere, lips brushing every single part of my body, whispering sweet loving words in my ear, telling me he loves me over and over again.

This is such what I needed, just what I wanted.

 

**THE END!**


	10. Epilogue

"So, you had sex."

"God Maggie, that's not what happened!"

"Okay fine, you and Steve made looove," she laughed. "What are you, five?"

"Whatever," I take a sip of my drink and smile at the memory. Waking up next to a very naked Steve was amazing; being loved by him was wonderful. "So, you told me you had something to share with me?"

"Oh yes," she smiles like a little girl about to reveal the secret of a life time. "I met someone."

"What else is new, Maggie?"

"Hey! I'm offended by your comment," she complains. "I meet people on daily basis but this man has left a huge impact on me."

"Really?"

"Yes," she continues, smiling again. "He's handsome, smart, funny and an amazing kisser."

"Just for how long have you known this guy?"

"A couple of days."

"And you guys have already kissed? Maggie, he could be like a serial killer or something, you barely even know this guy."

"Well he's not a serial killer."

"How do you know?"

"Because you introduced u.s"

"I did?" I ask her, confused. Just exactly when did that happen?

"Yes."

Then it hit me and I laugh at how right I was this whole time.

"Danny? You're dating Danny?"

"Yes," she speaks eagerly, like a school girl, "Kono, he is the most fantastic man ever."

"You don't say."

"I really do honestly think I'm in love with him."

"Maggie, you met him no less than three days ago. How can you possibly know you're in love with him?"

"Because I do. I just… I just do."

"Good luck then. Danny is a great man."

"He is, isn't he? And he's also a fantastic lover…"

"Alright then. Time to shut up."

 

**End of the epilogue**


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